The Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris was devastated by a fire in 2019 and the fate of the Mother of God left no one cold. The Czech Mint published a set of four silver coins that commemorate the rich history of the tabernacle in the heart of Paris to the occasion of the first anniversary of the devastating disaster.

The Temple of the Mother of God in Paris became the one of the bestsellers in the world in 2019. Victor Hugo's novel is set in the 15th century and its main motif is the Notre-Dame Cathedral, which is linked to the fate of the main characters such as the unhappy hunchback Quasimodo. The heartbreaking story enchanted the masses right at the time of its first edition - in 1831 - and opened a public collection for reconstruction of the cathedral that was destroyed after the Great French Revolution. It resembled ruins rather than a temple whose history dates back almost seven centuries to the past. Rare statues were broken, organs destroyed, stained-glass windows glazed, masonry beaten and altars and bells made of precious metals melted ... Thanks to patriotic efforts, however, the Parisian jewel was preserved for future generations. The cathedral that was destroyed by fire gained its modern appearance with a pointed tower (so-called sanctus) in the 19th century. Fortunately, French patriotism was shown in 2019 when hundreds of millions of euros were collected to renew the Notre-Dame Cathedral…

The reverse sides of the silver coins processed by the medal maker Petra Brodská, DiS. bear not only the cathedral itself, which is the most beautiful French Gothic building, but also its famous bells, whose melody amazed Quasimodo. Other coins are dedicated to important personalities associated with the Parisian temple. The first is Napoleon Bonaparte - an admired military leader who was crowned the French Emperor in the cathedral. The second is Joan of Arc - Virgin of Orleans, who was rehabilitated and beatified in the cathedral. Since the coins are issued with a foreign license of the island of Niue, their common obverse side bears the necessary attributes of this foreign issuer - the state emblem, the nominal value of 1 DOLLAR (NZD), together with the year of the issue 2020 - incorporated into the broken arch of the cathedral.

Four coins are stored in a luxurious wooden box.